Ornamental element for use in forming decorative materials



Nov- 14, 1944. s. L.-TRATTLER ORNAMENTAL ELEMENT FOR USE IN FORMING DECORATIVE MATERIALS Filed Dec. 20, 1941 INVENTOR. Jamaal L. Tmffler Patented Nov. 14, 1944 ORNAMENTAL ELEMENT FOR USE IN FORM- ING DECORATIVE MATERIALS Samuel L. Trattler, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Jeane Trattler, Brooklyn, N. Y.'

Application December 20, 1941, Serial No. 423,864

3 Claims.

Myinvention relates to ornamentalelements which are adapted for use in forming decorative materials fordecoration of dresses, fabrics, and objectsof use such as hand bags, belts and the like.

The use of ornamental elements such as beads or buttons made up in various shapes, and with various surface designs thereon, and strung together to form a decorative material to bowed to decorate fabric, dresses and objects, is old and well known. However, in the past, the ornamental elements which have been used for such purposes have been constructed or formed in such a manner that the cords, tapes or strings'used to connect the same together were always left slightly exposed to the eye at the points where the ornamental elements join with each other. This exposure of the cords or tapes presents an unattractive appearance in the decorative material formed by the strung together ornamental elements. In some of the prior constructions of decorative material an effort is made to utilize the exposed portions of the cords or strings upon which the ornamental elements are strung in forming a part of the design created by the assembled ornamental elements. In such cases the ornamental elements have been deliberately constructed with sloping. sides, or with out of line portions at the points where the ornamental elements abut against each other when joined together and so that an appreciable gap will be provided between the elements and across which the joining strings or cords will be definitely exposed to view, and thus become. a part of the design created by the joined'together elements. It has been found that, when this method of forming the decorative material is employed, the exposed portions of the joining cords or strings soon become soiled and consequently the appearance of the entire area of the decorative material becomes unattractive. It has also been found, in connection with prior constructions of decorative material, that it is difficult to properly secure the material to the fabric or article which it is intended to cover so that the securing threads or stitches will not be exposed to view and this ha been particularly difiicult when it is desired to secure individual elements of the decorative material to the fabric or article.

In the present invention the principal object is to provide an ornamental element construction adapted for use in producing decorative materials which overcomes the above mentioned objections and difiiculties, and which is made in such a manner that when a plurality of the said elements are joined 'togetherby strings or cords, such strings orcords will be hiddenfrom view.

A further object of the inventioniis to provide an ornamentation element which is formed in I such a manner that a plurality of the same may securingstitches being exposed'to view." A further object 'isto provideornamental ele-.

ments for forming a decorative covering material" which are madeof live or moreindividual orna-' mentations of the same design and size,v and which are integrally joinedtogether into a single unit and which unit is adapted to be joined with" similarly formed units by strings or cords so that i the said'joining cords or strings will be hidden" from view when said'units are in assembled-rela- 1 tion to each other.

Further objects of the invention willbe more fully pointed out hereinafter. In'order that the invention may be more readily understood and practiced, the features thereof will now be described with reference to the] accompanying drawing, in'which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a decorative which are constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the ornamental] element made in accordance with the invention; Figure 3 is a plan view 'showing'the underside of the ornamental element;

Figure 4 is an edge view, partially in section of a, plurality of ornamental elements shown joined together by a connecting cord and indicating the manner in which the connecting cord may be secured to a piece of fabric without exposing the securing means on the surface of the fabric; and

Figure 5 is a plan view of an ornamental element which may be made in accordance with the objects of my invention and which is formed of five individual ornamentations of the same design integrally joined together.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the construction of the ornamental element of my invention is more clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3. The element is of a hollow shell like construc- .tion, preferably made of plastic material, and may be produced in suitable moulds in a well known manner. The outer surface of the elematerial formed from the ornamental elements ment, as shown in Figure 2, is shaped so as to form a desired exterior design. In the example shown in the drawing the outer surface is shaped sothat it is formed with the sloping portions indicated at I, a rounded raised center portion and fiat rectangular shaped hooded top and side portions 3. The side faces of the hooded portions 3 arev positioned centrally with respect to the sides of the" element and are formed with the vertically extending grooves 4 and the openings 5 therethrough. The openings 5 through opposite sides of the element are positioned so that they will register with each other.

In assembling the ornamental elements to form a decorative covering material, cords or strings 6, are extended through the openings 5 and the elements strung together as indicated in Figures 1 and 4. The strings or cords cause the elements to be drawn together so that the faces of the fiat rectangular sides of the hooded portions will be caused to abut against each other and held together so that the connecting cords will be hidden from view on the surface. of the material.

When securing the decorative material formed from the assembled elements to a piece of fabric indicated at 9 in Figure 4, the ends of the cords 6 are drawn downwardly at the ends of the dec-' orative material and caused to be positioned in the grooves 4 of the end elements of the material and then passed through the fabric and stitched to the underside thereof, as indicated at 1. If it should bedesired to secure the individual ornamental elements of the decorative material to the fabric, stitches may be caused to engage over the portions of the connecting cords 6 which lie between the elements and then secured t0 the fabric, and when this is done the said stitches will not be visible on the surface of the material because they will be positioned in and hidden by the grooves 4 in the square shaped sides of the adjoining elements.

In carrying out the objects of the invention the ornamental elements used to produce the decorative covering material instead of being strung together as single elements may be moulded integrallytogether in groups of five, as shown in Figure 5, and soasto form an L-shaped unit. If such an k-shaped unit is employed in making up the decorative material the connecting cords or strings are extended through openings 8, provided in the exposed exterior flat sides of the combined elements and may be secured to the fabric in the same manner as the cords joining the single elements aresecured and as above described; and without the securing stitches being visible due to the cord being positioned in the grooves l0, formed in the sides of the elements. The L-shaped form of construction permits the ornamental elements to be moulded in larger units and thus the cost of manufacture of the elements is decreased, and also a desired area of decorative covering material may be formed with a less number of individual elements. Also by using such L-shaped units it is possible to readily create a number of diiferent forms of designs in the decorative material.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly novel ornamental element construction which is particularly useful in forming attractive decorative covering material and which may be assembled together to form said material without exposing to view the connecting cords or strings. Also the peculiar grooved construction of th elements permits the securing of the decorative material to the fabric or object for which it is designed to cover by stitches which will be hidden from view.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ornamental element for use in forming a decorative material and adapted to be strung on cord supporting means, said element having an ornamental front portion and sides each of which is provided with a flat faced vertically extended portion which is formed with a groove therein and with an opening through which the cord supporting means may be inserted.

2. A hollow ornamental element for use'in forming a decorative material and adapted to be strung on cord supporting means, said element having sloping side walls, each of which is formed with a flat faced rectangular and vertically extending hood portion which is provided with a vertically extending groove therein and with an opening through which the cord supporting means may be inserted.

3. A decorative material adapted to be fastened to a fabric and comprised of a plurality of hollow rectangular shaped ornamental elements strung together by cords, each of said elements having an ornamental front portion and sidewalls provided with holes therethrough to receive said cords and also with vertically extending recesses in which the end portions of the cords at the side edges of the decorative material may be positioned when said decorative material is to be fastened to the fabric, I

SAMUEL L. TRATTLER. 

